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AMA
Will Oppose Any P4P That Doesn't Meet StandardsAnd that includes
proposals now before Congress

Pay-For-Performance
(P4P) anxiety dominated the American Medical Association's
House of Delegates meeting June 18-22 in Chicago.

The
Delegates voted for a resolution stating that the AMA won't
support any P4P program that doesn't meet the AMA's P4P
principles. The updated P4P principles now state that:

*
payors should pilot-test any P4P program before rolling
it out;
* physicians shouldn't suffer for factors beyond their
control; and
* physicians from relevant specialties should have input
into any P4P program.

Also,
the AMA argues that physician participation in P4P programs
should be voluntary, and physicians shouldn't be punished
for refusing to take part in them. And P4P programs should
involve measures across many specialties, so physicians
don't lose out because the measures only target other specialties'
outcomes.

Most
of all, the AMA resolution calls for P4P programs to focus
on improving patient care instead of saving money. "Fair
and ethical pay-for-performance programs are patient-centered
and assess physician performance with evidence-based measures,"
said AMA Secretary John Armstrong.